Boeing failed to provide training, oversight to prevent MAX 9 midair emergency, NTSB says

Boeing failed to provide adequate training, guidance and oversight to prevent a midair cabin panel blowout on a new 737 MAX 9 flight in January 2024 that spun the plane maker into a major crisis, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the US said on Tuesday.

The board harshly criticised Boeing's safety culture and failure to install four key bolts in a new Alaska Airlines MAX 9 during production, and ineffective oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said at a board meeting the incident was entirely avoidable because the plane maker should have addressed unauthorised production identified in many Boeing internal audits, reports and other forums for at least 10 years.

“The safety deficiencies that led to the accident should have been evident to Boeing and the FAA,” Homendy said.

“It's nothing short of a miracle that no-one died or sustained serious injuries.”

Boeing's on-the-job training was lacking, the NTSB said, adding the plane maker is working on a design enhancement that will ensure the door plug cannot be closed until it is firmly secured.

The accident prompted the US justice department to open a criminal investigation and declare Boeing was not in compliance with a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement. CEO Dave Calhoun announced he would step down within a few months of the midair panel blowout.

Homendy praised new Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg but said “he has his work cut out for him, a lot of challenges to address, and that's going to take time”.

Boeing said it regretted the accident and was continuing to work on strengthening safety and quality across its operations.

The FAA said on Tuesday it has “fundamentally changed how it oversees Boeing since the Alaska Airlines door plug accident and we will continue the aggressive oversight to ensure Boeing fixes its systemic production quality issues”.

The incident badly damaged Boeing's reputation and led to grounding of the MAX 9 for two weeks and a production cap of 38 planes per month by the FAA that remains in place.

“While Boeing is making progress, we will not lift the 737 monthly production cap until we are confident the company can maintain safety and quality while making more aircraft,” the FAA said.

Boeing created no paperwork for the removal of the 737 MAX 9 door plug — a piece of metal shaped like a door covering an unused emergency exit — or its reinstallation during production, and does not know which employees were involved, the NTSB said on Tuesday.

Then FAA administrator Michael Whitaker said in June 2024 the agency was “too hands off” in Boeing oversight and it has boosted the number of inspectors at Boeing and MAX fuselage manufacturer Spirit AeroSystems' factories.

Boeing had agreed last July to plead guilty to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge after two fatal 737 MAX crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. However, last month it struck a deal with the justice department to avoid a guilty plea.

The justice department has asked a judge to approve the deal which will allow Boeing to avoid pleading guilty or face oversight by an outside monitor.

Reuters